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Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Review: Enchanting Death by Laura J Adams

“His first holiday for two years, the only thing Agent Philippe Girard
had planned was a relaxing holiday, a wedding and a full moon hunt with old
friends.

Sent to oversee local rookie Max Striga as she makes an arrest, his
plans soon unravel when the discovery of a body drags him head first into a
high stakes murder case.

With demons, enchantments and old enemies, plus an idealistic young
partner who simultaneously infuriates him and brings out his protective
instincts, Philippe finds himself in a race against time to solve the case
before the murderer can strike again.”

Author:

Laura J Adams: “Interested in all things fantastical since an early
age (I'm sure I spent time in my wardrobe as a child trying to find Narnia) it
seemed natural to create my own stories. As I grew and discovered great urban
fantasy writers my stories started demanding to be put down on paper.

So armed with chocolate, hastily scribbled notes and a New Year's
resolution to finally finish a book I discovered my motley crew at the Agency
for Supernatural Law Enforcement and Exposure Prevention.

I now spend my days juggling work, children and writing - all while
dreaming of chocolate (New Year's resolution) - and hoping one day to turn what
has always been a truly enjoyable past-time into a wonderful career.”

Philippe Girard is a revered agent with the Agency for Supernatural
Law Enforcement and Exposure Prevention. He is a werewolf and cranky to be
pulled from his first vacation in two years to accompany a rookie agent, Max
Striga, on her first assignment to arrest an enchantment making witch. There
wasn’t supposed to be a death involved. Things get off to a rocky start when
Max, also a witch, fails to detect a hidden dark spell which causes an
explosion that blows up a file cabinet, the crime scene, and Agent Philippe. Philippe
wasn't injured beyond his werewolf healing abilities, but that fact did not
improve his mood. Max is a competent witch but Philippe feels she may not be
cut out for field work. She is also insecure and has a snarky side when she
gets backed into a corner. Philippe’s boss insists Max stay on the case to
assist him in unraveling the reason for the mysterious death and who the miscreant
is.

The plot is enthralling and complicated with several twists. Ms. Adams
does a great job keeping track of all the threads and weaving them together for
a cohesive story. The characters are well developed and the dialogue is
engaging.

Here is a funny excerpt where we get to see some humorous dialogue.
Philippe has entered the victim’s house to make sure it is clear before Max
enters. Max is standing outside on the sidewalk when an elderly neighbor, who’s
out for a walk, strikes up a conversation with her. Unaware Philippe is now
standing behind her. The elderly neighbor asks:

“He your
boss?”

“No she’s
mine – a real slave driver.”

“No
offence to the lass, but how’s this tiny girl your boss? You’re late twenties,
and a strapping capable looking lad. Why you settling for being an underling?
Even to a pretty girl.”

“I’ve
always enjoyed being under a pretty girl.”

Max
gaped, her hand flying to her mouth as the flames in her cheeks soared higher…

“Officer
Head got demoted – performance issues. Isn’t that right Richard.” Max smiled at
her reluctant partner, the smirk falling from Phillippe’s face.

The plot moves quickly, although they seem to be spinning their wheels
by just missing their quarry. While Max is trying to prove herself she takes
some stupid risks without Philippe’s permission. She has a lot to learn and she
deserves Philippe’s quick temper outbursts. However, he is learning to
appreciate her spunk. I would love to see something romantic develop between
them. The sexual tension is certainly there.

I have some real concerns with the editing or proofing of the copy I
was given to read. Besides the typical missing or wrong words used there were
problems with the spelling of Philippe’s name. I came across several Phillipe
and even a Phillip. A good editor should have caught this problem and getting
the main character’s name wrong is not something I tolerate. So, I have to
deduct a star.

I would strongly recommend a whole re-editing of Enchanting Death because the story is good enough to put forth the
effort. Urban Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and I did enjoy this unique
book. The ending wraps up nicely, but another storyline brings into question
that it may be related more directly to the main plot. Further investigation
needs to be done on the case. It’s a nice hook for book two. I can’t wait to
see Philippe and Max work together now that he knows exactly who Max is.

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